'Coal King' Is Suing John Oliver, Time Warner, and HBO (washingtonpost.com)

Reader Daetrin writes: Robert E. Murray, CEO of one of the largest coal mining companies in the US, is suing John Oliver, HBO, and Time Warner for defamation (alternative source) over a comedic report on the status of the coal industry in John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight". The report began with the decline of the coal mining industry, Trump's promises to revive it, and the plight of the workers involved, but was also highly critical of the business practices and safety record of Murray Energy Corporation and Robert Murray's leadership of the company. When the company was contacted about the piece before airing they responded with a cease and desist letter and threatened to sue. John Oliver continued with the segment anyway, saying "I didn't really plan for so much of this piece to be about you, but you kinda forced my hand on that one."

Comments

Re:This guy sues anyone who critizes him

[Obfuscant]

He didn't want to do something he didn't have to, but someone else did something that "forced his hand". Were this some negotiation where the correct response depends upon the "opponent's" action, you'd have a point. This isn't. It's a choice to allow someone else drive your bus. "I am going to do this because you don't want me to" isn't "adapting" or "jujitsu".

But I gored a popular ox, so the mods are here to "adapt" and "jujitsu" me. They didn't want to, but I forced their hand, hmmm?